'Worst place to live' is a 'cesspit' where locals fear they're 'going to die'

30 December 2023 , 14:44

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The 'worst' estate in the UK has housing made from rusty old shipping containers

An estate in London has been branded the "worst place to live in the Britain" by residents who fear they will be killed before they can be rehoused.

The shocking housing is considered to be a "slum" with much of the makeshift properties constructed from rusty old shipping containers. Residents say it is a "third-world cesspit" with the people living there desperate to leave the Meath Court estate in Acton, west London.

Many of the people who were living there have been re-homed, but the others have been warned the process could take months more, with some being told they won't be able to move until June. Labour-led Ealing Council, which covers the area, said it is committed to getting them out, but terrified locals said they are scared they could be murdered while they wait for a new home.

The rooms the families are forced to live in are tiny (Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

According to MailOnline, one woman said: "I fear I will die here. This is the worst place to live in Britain. It's like being in a third world country. I am terrified I will be killed or my children will be killed." Residents are so scared that many are too afraid to be pictured. They say they have told police about attempted murders, sex assaults, violence, prostitution, drug dealing and taking, thefts and robberies, which they claim are a weekly occurrence, with pimps working round the clock.

There are 60 shipping container homes with only two bedrooms, while families with as many as eight members trying to live in them. And shockingly, some families are having to put three kids in one cell-like room with just two metres by five metres of space. The crime is so bad and the criminals so fierce that even security guards who are meant to be dealing with criminality being 'constantly bullied' and in fear of being attacked.

London flat for rent for £1,400 a month with bed tucked away in kitchen cupboard

Residents on the estate say they are living in 'third-world' conditions (Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

The site was due to be closed down earlier in December. Some locals claim they have been told it will not shut entirely until June. One resident alleged that a packet of bullets was found recently, while others said many of the flats are riddled with mould and damp. Those living there feel that they have become a 'forgotten people' and that politicians and the police simply so not care about their plight.

Sophia Buxton, interim political assistant to the Labour group at Ealing Council, described rehoming residents as "complex". She told the Ealing Times: "The task of decommissioning Meath and Marston Courts and ensuring all residents have appropriate housing elsewhere is complex and cannot be achieved overnight."

The Metropolitan Police said officers had "stepped up" patrols there and were doing their best to tackle crime. A spokesperson said: "Over the past few months, we are disappointed to see that the Meath Estate has experienced an unfortunate increase in criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, which we acknowledge. Ealing Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams have stepped up its presence in the area, with daily patrols by uniform officers and PCSO's, providing a visible and reassuring presence for the local residents."

The horrors residents are going through must be all the more galling given that the average house price in Ealing is £739,000 and many houses within half a mile of the block fetch well over £1 million.

Paul Donald